Toowoomba’s top high school graduates 2024
Doctors, engineers, digital masters or space explorers – the universe is the limit for these high school graduates. Meet them here:
Toowoomba
Don't miss out on the headlines from Toowoomba. Followed categories will be added to My News.
On Friday, thousands of students received their ATAR scores across the state, checking online with anticipation to see how they ranked with their peers in 2024.
Toowoomba’s St Saviour’s College Dux Eliza Morcom said she was honoured and proud to find out she was named the school Dux, receiving an ATAR score of 98.45.
The up and coming U19’s Western Clydesdale star player said she had already been given an early offer to study paramedicine at Toowoomba’s University of Southern Queensland.
In September, Eliza Morcom took player of the match in the Grand Final after her team beat Gatton 20-14.
A main reason for pursuing her studies in Toowoomba meant she could continue to play footy with her home team, which had been growing from strength-to-strength in the past few years.
Aside from her academic and sports achievements, in her final years at school she had worked two jobs and completed a certificate 3 in childcare.
“Just do a little bit everyday, and ask a lot of questions,” was her advice to other students.
Riman Amar – The Glennie School
The Glennie School’s Riman Amar said she was “absolutely overjoyed” at being named school dux, after she received an ATAR score of 99.40.
“It’s exciting to see my efforts pay off, but it also motivates me to continue being determined because I’ve proven to myself that hard work pays off,” she said.
The Year 12 graduate is hoping to study medicine, which is a “lifelong dream” for her, through the pathways at the University of Southern Queensland next year.
“I decided I wanted to be a doctor when I was five because my mum is one, but as I’ve gotten older it’s become something I’m passionate about for myself,” she said.
“Knowing I was first in school motivates me to keep striving to be the best I can be in whatever I do, and hopefully I keep this level of achievement throughout my life.”
She said her favourite subjects were chemistry and literature: chemistry because she was able to solve real world problems on a molecular level, and literature because she enjoyed “discussing different perspectives and analysing deeper meanings within text”.
Her advice to other students is to “start studying early so you don’t end up cramming.”
“I also set small goals for each study session, so I didn’t get too overwhelmed; some tasks look unmanageable which makes you not want to do them, but breaking them down helps to overcome them,” she said.
Reuben King – Toowoomba Anglican School
Toowoomba Anglican School graduate Reuben King said he was “honoured to be recognised for his achievements” and “incredibly grateful” to everyone who had supported him throughout the year.
“With so many intelligent, kind, and dedicated classmates lifting each other up, I believe many high-achieving students will graduate from TAS this year,” he said.
For Mr King, the sky is not the limit, but the whole universe, and he said his favourite subjects were specialist maths and physics.
“I aspire to be an aerospace engineer at NASA, SpaceX, or ESA, working on projects involved in space exploration and colonisation,” he said.
His advice to other students was to “fully understand the content as you learn it throughout the year, whether by doing extra reading in the textbook or online or talking to your teacher”.
“This makes studying for exams significantly easier because most of your time can be dedicated to doing practice questions and exams,” he said.
Krish Dutta – Highfields State Secondary School
Highfields State Secondary School graduate Krish Dutta said he felt a “mix of pride, gratitude, and excitement” when he received his ATAR score of 95.85 on Friday.
“Knowing that all the effort and dedication paid off is deeply rewarding, and I’m grateful for the support of my teachers, friends, and family,” he said.
Mr Dutta wants to pursue a career in engineering so he can express his “love for problem-solving”, describing his love of maths because it challenged him to “think critically and solve problems in creative ways”.
“It was like solving puzzles,” he said.
The graduate is also passionate about health and fitness, also completing a certificate 3 in fitness.
His advice to other students was to “stay organised and consistent”.
“Find study techniques that work for you — whether it’s practice questions, teaching others, or active recall,” he said.
“Also, balance is key, make time for exercise, friends, and hobbies to avoid burnout.”
Vincent Smith – Highfields State Secondary School
Highfields State Secondary School graduate Vincent Smith said he felt “amazing to be named as a high achiever” with a score of 95.75.
“With all of the highs and lows between classwork and tight assessment deadlines, all the effort I’ve put in has been made all worthwhile,” he said.
He is about to study business and information technologies and wants to work managing computer systems for a large corporation.
A digital technology enthusiast, Mr Smith said he really enjoyed the challenges subjects like digital technologies, maths methods and specialist maths gave him.
“I love the feeling of finally figuring out a difficult question or fixing a bizarre computer error,” he said.
“I’d love it if said career would take me through many positions throughout my time there, possibly even to management positions for information technologies.”
His advice to other students was to ask as many questions as possible.
“Your teachers are there to help you and would rather answer any seemingly ‘dumb’ questions than watch you hand in a half-finished draft,” he said.
“Always start the assessment and class material as soon as possible; I tended to leave it to the last minute and paid the price with some of my earlier assignments.”
Seamus Taylor – Toowoomba State High School
Twins Seamus and Malcolm Taylor took top marks for Toowoomba State High School’s 2024 cohort with Seamus receiving an ATAR of 96.65 and Malcolm 96.1.
Seamus said he was “reasonably confident about the marks” and “wasn’t stressed”.
After a few months off study, he’s planning on joining the Australian Defence Force, studying technology with a major of aeronautical engineering and has his eyes set on the skies as a fighter pilot.
His favourite subjects were specialist maths and aviation.
“Aviation because I get to fly planes (in the simulator) and drones (in real life),” he said.
His advice to other students was to “work hard, but don’t stress – there’s no point”.
“Run an ultra marathon – it’s good fun, or at least go touch some grass.”
Malcolm Taylor – Toowoomba State High School
Malcolm also wasn’t stressed about receiving his result.
“It was sort of what I expected and as I’d already received a uni offer I wasn’t stressed about it,” he said.
His plans is to stay in Toowoomba and study engineering majoring in mechatronics and robotic engineering at UniSQ.
His favourite subjects at school were specialist maths, physics, and aviation.
“Hang out with your friends and ride a bike,” was his advice to other students.
More Coverage
Originally published as Toowoomba’s top high school graduates 2024
Helicopter called to rescue man trapped on rock face in park
A helicopter operation is underway for a teenager who has been stuck on a rock in a Darling Downs park. Here’s what we know about the rescue.
‘Sky as a canvas’: Pilot’s festive message goes viral
A Darling Downs pilot has taken the unconventional method of sending everyone a sky high Christmas card, and it’s taken off across the world.